Romana


*The following article is written from an In Universe perspective.*

Romanadvoratrelundar — known in short as Romana — was a Time Lord who was assigned the task to assist the Fourth Doctor in his quest for the Key to Time. She stayed with him long after that task was done and parted from him in E-Space. When she returned to N-Space, she became Lord President of Gallifrey.

Biography

Early life

For her seventieth birthday, she was given an air car. (DW: The Pirate Planet)

Travels with the Doctor

Quest for the Key to Time

The White Guardian assigned her to assist the Fourth Doctor in the quest for the Key to Time, They found the first segment on the planet Ribos in the form of a lump of jethrik. They had to recover it against the will of Graff Vynda-K. During this time the two bonded, even though Romana made the mistake of thinking the first segment was a crown rather than the jethrik. Romana came to respect the Doctor for his experience despite his academic failings although she was frustrated he didn't immediately go after the segment and was more interested in Garron and Unstoffe. (DW: The Ribos Operation)

Romana and the Doctor arrived on the planet Zanak in their search for the second segment of the Key to Time. Here they met the Captain, who used Zanak to materialise around and mine other planets. They discovered that the segment they sought was the planet Calufrax, which had recently fallen victim to Zanak. They retrieved the remaining components of Calufrax, which had been shrunk by the Captain as a trophy, also disabling in the process Zanak's ability to materialise around and destroy other planets. (DW: The Pirate Planet)

On her first visit to the planet Earth in 1978, while looking for the third segment, Romana befriended Professor Amelia Rumford and Vivian Fay. Vivian was really Cessair of Diplos. She kidnapped Romana, taking her to a ship in hyperspace. They met the Megara and she attended the Doctor's trial. Upon their escape, the Doctor and Romana found the segment was the Great Seal of Diplos. (DW: The Stones of Blood)

On Tara, Romana immediately found the segment was a statue after leaving the Doctor. However, while fleeing a Taran wood beast, she met Count Grendel, who decided to take Romana prisoner. He introduced her to Princess Strella, whose appearance was identical to Romana's. Taking advantage of this likeness, the Count decided Prince Reynart would marry Romana, pretending she was a dancer from Gallifrey. Reynart would be killed and the Count would marry his widow. He would then rule as King. However, the Doctor interrupted the wedding and defeated the Count. (DW: The Androids of Tara)

On Delta III, Romana was captured by Swampies and offered as a sacrifice to Kroll. The Doctor freed her, but they were quickly recaptured. This time both the Doctor and Romana were offered in sacrifice in the last of the Seven Holy Rituals of the Swampies. This involved them being stretched by vines, known as creepers, until their backbones broke. The Doctor freed them by resonating his voice and breaking a window so rain water loosened the creepers. The segment was within Kroll himself and the Doctor recovered it. (DW: The Power of Kroll)

The Doctor and Romana went to Atrios for the final segment. Romana was captured by the Shadow and tortured. She was freed with the Doctor's help and the segment was Princess Astra of Atrios herself.

The Doctor and Romana assembled the Key in the TARDIS, then disassembled it to escape the wrath of the White Guardian's foe, the Black Guardian. The Doctor fitted a randomiser to the TARDIS' controls to prevent the Black Guardian from hunting them down. During the adventure she met Drax, one of the Doctor's peers from his own time on Gallifrey. (DW: The Armageddon Factor)

Continued adventures

While visiting the British Museum in 1926, Romana was kidnapped by Egyption Religious fanatics. She was nearly possesed by Nephtyse, the wife of Sutekh who believed that Romana's mind would be easier to escape from. Romana was rescued when she was switched with Lady Ann Cranleigh, an exact look-alike of Romana. (DW: The Sands of Time)

The Doctor was contacted by his Tenth incarnation and summoned to Gallifrey where Romana met the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth And Ninth Doctors. After the Keeper explained that there were time distortions throughout time and space, the Doctor and Romana were given a device to help track one of these time distortions. (MOV: Doctor Who)

Regeneration

At some point an unknown incident caused Romana to regenerate. She was somehow able to try out several different bodies before settling on a form identical to that of Astra of Atrios, having thought that the body had "looked very good" on Astra. (DW: Destiny of the Daleks)

Evading the Black Guardian

Still using the randomiser to evade the Black Guardian, Romana's first adventure was on Skaro where she was captured and interrogated by the Daleks and made to work as a slave before using her respiratory bypass system to feign death and escape. She met Davros and assisted the Doctor in defeating the Daleks, the Movellans and freeing the slaves. (DW: Destiny of the Daleks)

Arrving in Paris in 1979, Romana and the Doctor enjoyed the city before uncovering Scaroth's plan to use the Mona Lisa and a number of copies to fund his time travel experiments. She provided Scaroth with time travel technology but, after realising her mistake, helped the Doctor stop him. (DW: City of Death)

On Chloris, Romana was captured by a party of bandits. She became involved in Lady Adrasta's plans to kill the Tythonian ambassador Erato when she made the mistake of showing what K9 could do. (DW: The Creature from the Pit)

When two spaceships, the Empress and the Hecate, collided, Romana helped separate them. She also helped to uncover a drug-smuggling plot involving the lethal drug vraxoin via Tryst's Continuous Event Transmuter and the Mandrels it contained. (DW: Nightmare of Eden)

Romana prevented the Nimon from continuing their cycle of taking over planets by posing as gods. She travelled to Crinoth and met Sezom, the sole survivor of the people there who had formerly welcomed the Nimon in the hope they would give them higher technology, only to realise too late the Nimon were parasitic nomads who consumed them and their world. (DW: The Horns of Nimon)

The Doctor's first four incarnations, along with their companions, were taken by a time scoop to the Death Zone on Gallifrey. The Doctor and Romana were caught in a time eddy and failed to arrive in the Death Zone. They were released several hours later once Borusa was sealed in the Tomb of Rassilon. (DW: The Five Doctors)

The Doctor arrived in Brighton, but in the wrong season. Bored and with K9 out of action after going in the sea, Romana suggested they visit the Leisure Hive. There, they prevented the rebirth of Argolincivilisation. Despite her protests, the Doctor removed the randomiser from the TARDIS, making them vulnerable to the Black Guardian finding them again. (DW: The Leisure Hive)

On Tigella, Romana freed herself from the Bell Plants' harassment before she was captured by Gaztaks. She bluffed the Gaztaks by claiming she was leading them to the TARDIS before taking them around in circles. She lost them by leading them into the Bell Plants. (DW: Meglos)

E-Space

After forgetting all about the matter, the Doctor received an order from the Time Lords to return Romana to Gallifrey given that they had assembled the Key to Time. Romana, having tasted a life of adventure with the Doctor and bonded with him, did not want to return and spend the rest of her life there. The TARDIS entered a Charged Vacuum Emboitment and entered E-Space where they landed on the planet Alzarius. Infected by an Alzarian spider, Romana was controlled by its venom to complete tasks to help the Marshmen. The Doctor restrained her and she soon recovered. (DW: Full Circle)

Romana and the Doctor began searching for a CVE to return home. They came across a planet and landed upon it. They found an Alzarian, Adric, had stowed away on board. Romana was taken by a group of vampires as a sacrifice to the King Vampire. The Doctor rescued her and they resumed searching. (DW: State of Decay)

The TARDIS crew arrived at the Gateway where they encountered the Tharils. With K9 damaged by time winds and unable to return to N-Space, Romana chose to remain with him in E-Space where they could help release the Tharils from captivity. (DW: Warriors' Gate)

Return to Gallifrey

To be added. (DW: Lungbarrow)

President of the High Council

To be added. (DW: Lungbarrow)

Battling Gregori in the Election

To be added. (DW: The Reverent Peril)

Leaving Gallifrey

To be added. (DW: The Lords of Time)

Personality

The first incarnation of Romana was exceptionally bright and very good at puzzles, (DW: The Stones of Blood) but she lacked experience outside of academia. (DW: The Ribos Operation) She was able to properly and smoothly land the TARDIS simply by reading the Instruction Manual. (DW: The Pirate Planet)

Due to her inexperience, Romana was known to panic in life-endangering situations during her early adventures with the Fourth Doctor. (DW: The Ribos Operation) with Romana willing to concede that a plan of his was "fantastic". (DW: The Pirate Planet) Whilst she could be arrogant and patronising, (DW: The Ribos Operation, etc.) she became less aloof as a result of her travels (DW: The Armageddon Factor) and showed friendship and affection to some that she met. (DW: The Stones of Blood) She also became more resourceful and competent as an adventurer. (DW: The Androids of Tara) Like the Doctor, she preferred to think her way out of situations, but was not opposed to force when necessary, although she was saddened after shooting a guard. (DW: The Pirate Planet)

Romana's second incarnation was confident, intelligent (DW: Destiny of the Daleks, The Leisure Hive, etc.) and witty, (DW: City of Death) more than capable of separating from the Doctor and resolving situations on her own. (DW: Nightmare of Eden, The Horns of Nimon, etc.) Although some of her previous incarnation's iciness remained early on. (DW: The Creature from the Pit) Whilst she could be fearful, she remained quick to react. (DW: Destiny of the Daleks, Meglos, The Horns of Nimon)

Due to her new lifestyle of exploration and adventure, Romana dreaded the thought of spending the rest of her life on Gallifrey, (DW: Full Circle)

In her free time, Romana enjoyed embarking on constructive and intellectual activities, finding recreation such as walking along a beach dull and pointless (DW: The Leisure Hive)

The Doctor described her as "wonderful", which she supposed she was, (DW: State of Decay) and as "the noblest Romana of them all", (DW: Warriors' Gate)

Skills

Romana's second incarnation had great strength, as shown when she took on Sharrel unarmed. (DW: Destiny of the Daleks)

Physical Appearance

First incarnation

Romana's first known incarnation was a tall, aristocratic woman. She had a finely-chiselled, almost Grecian face with arched eyebrows, pale eyes and delicately curved lashes. (DW: The Ribos Operation)

Hair and grooming

Romana's first known incarnation had dark hair that parted at the centre. (DW: The Ribos Operation)

Clothing

This incarnation of Romana was particularly fashion conscious. She had access to a large variety of clothing in the TARDIS wardrobe and changed her clothing frequently. (DW: The Ribos Operation, etc.) While on Tara, Romana took special care in choosing her clothes. She eventually came across a specific dress for Tara, or at least in that style. (DW: The Androids of Tara)

Second incarnation

Romana was a small, neat woman, noticeably shorter than her previous incarnation, and was aristocratically beautiful with a high forehead, pert lips, a noble brow and fair skin. (DW: Destiny of the Daleks)

Hair and grooming

The second Romana had long, fair hair. (DW: Destiny of the Daleks)

Clothing

Romana once donned a pink version of the Doctor's coat, with a white version of his scarf. (DW: Destiny of the Daleks) She also wore a variety of dresses, building on her previous incarnation's sense of style. (DW: The Androids of Tara, The Creature from the Pit) On Tigella, she wore a frilled dress. (DW: Meglos) When defeating the Nimon, she wore a crimson frockcoat, a gold brocade waistcoat, an ivory stock tie, beige trousers, and brown boots. (DW: The Horns of Nimon) Once she returned to Gallifrey, she wore traditional Time Lord garb. (DW: Lungbarrow)

Gallery

Other Information

Age

Romana told the Doctor that she was nearly one hundred and forty when they met, (DW: The Ribos Operation) although her second incarnation later gave her age as one hundred and twenty-five, so her age cannot be accurately placed without further information. However, it is possible that Romana is simply lying about her age.(DW: City of Death)

Other notes

Although a relationship was never explicitly shown or intended by the writers, many fans have found the signs of a romantic relationship particularly evident in the story City of Death, perhaps reflecting the real-life romance between Tom Baker and Lalla Ward which reportedly blossomed during the production of that story and led to their brief marriage. In 1980, Ward and Baker made a series of television commercials in Australia for Prime Computers, performing as Romana and the Doctor. The advertisements feature a parody romance between the two characters, culminating in the Doctor proposing marriage to Romana.
Romana's clothing was examined in the 2|entertain documentary Lalla's Wardrobe.
The status of Romana during the events of The Five Doctors depends upon which version is viewed. In the original 1983 broadcast version (and four-episode rebroadcasts), she is trapped in the vortex with the Fourth Doctor when the Time Scoop malfunctioned (as evidenced by an image of the two of them that appears on Borusa's monitor). For the 1995 Special Edition, only the Fourth Doctor is visible in the vortex image.

Behind the Scenes

Mary Tamm agreed to play Romana after being convinced she wouldn't just be a "damsel in distress". However, by the end of Season 16, Tamm felt her character had fallen into that category. This, along with the fact her character had no room to grow in such a small format, left Tamm unwilling to carry on.
Auditioning for the role of Romana along with Mary Tamm was Belinda Mayne. (TCH 28) The two actresses had previously appeared together in an episode of Whodunnit?, the game show hosted by Jon Pertwee.
The first episode filmed with Tamm's successor, Lalla Ward, was The Creature from the Pit. Ward complained at the way her character was scripted to be like Tamm's version, even wearing the same style of clothing. (DW: The Creature from the Pit)
Three alternative "physical" forms of Romana seen in Part One of Destiny of the Daleks were played, uncredited, by Yvonne Gallagher, Lee Richards and Maggy Armitage respectively (the voice continued to be that of Lalla Ward).

List of Appearances

Doctor Who

Movies

Doctor Who